Fillus amazonicus, Machado, Renato José Pires & Rafael, José Albertino, 2011

Machado, Renato José Pires & Rafael, José Albertino, 2011, A new species of Fillus Navás, 1919 (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae) from the Brazilian Amazon Basin, Zootaxa 2907, pp. 22-28 : 22-27

Fillus amazonicus n. sp.

Diagnosis. Wings hyaline; eyes with a weakly developed impression; male first abdominal tergite with a dorsal conical projection with only few scattered black setae at apex; male pulvinus elongate and placed upper to gonarcus, parameres elongate, curving and acuminate.

Holotype male: Head: vertex predominantly dark brown except by yellow lateral stripes bordering the eye; vertex densely covered by white and black setae. Frons brown with long, white pilosity ( Fig. 1 ). Clypeus and labrum yellow with sparse white setae. Mandible pale yellow at base, becoming black distally. Palpus yellow, except the distal segment dark brown, with long white setae at base; each segment with small black setae distally. Antenna clubbed, relatively short, 15.52 mm, only reaching the level of the forewing second Rs fork (wing spread). Scape yellow; pedicel yellow with the apical edge brown covered by long white setae; flagellum with 52 flagellomeres, the last 15 forming the club ( Fig. 2 ). Each flagellomere with basal half light brown and apical half dark brown except the terminal expanded ones, completely dark brown and covered by small black setae ( Fig. 2 ). Eye brown and with a weakly developed transversal line in the middle region ( Fig. 1 ).

Thorax: covered with scattered white and black setae. Pronotum very reduced, collar-like with lateral extremities yellow, median region brown and remaining dark brown. Mesonotum dark brown except for a narrow longitudinal light brown stripe in the prescutum and a central brown spot in scutellum. Metanotum slightly paler than mesonotum. Pleural sclerites yellow with some light brown spots.

Legs: coxae, trochanters pale yellow, femora with internal face pale yellow and external face brown, tibiae black with small yellow spots in external face, tarsomeres completely black. White setae covering coxae, trochanters and femora. Tibiae and tarsi with sublateral strong black bristles. Tibia with two large reddish brown spurs at apex. Claws reddish brown.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ): membrane hyaline, veins brown except for the yellow origin of R at wing base, pterostigma with membrane and veins brown, subtriangular with four crossveins, with at least one branched. Rs with seven branches. Forewing with 1A very short. Hindwing broader than forewing basally, CuA with a well-developed fork, 1A long. Apical area of forewing slightly larger than in the hindwing, both with three rows off cells, but forewing with two cells inserted between the dorsal and the median rows.

Abdomen: tergites dark brown with narrow transversal light brown stripe on the posterior margin. Basal half of tergites with two lateral pores. Sternites brown to dark brown, the last ones a little darker. Sclerites covered by small black setae except the first two tergites and sternites, covered by long white setae. First tergite with a dark brown dorsal conical projection which extends until the begging of the third tergite ( Fig. 4 ). Projection in dorsal view with the basal half large and covered by long white setae, apical half straight and with few scattered black setae ( Fig. 5 ); the ventral surface is concave along the entire length; apex with a small concavity at apex in dorsal view ( Fig. 5 ), and with the ventral region elongated in lateral view. Tergite IX divided into two lateral plates by a dorsal longitudinal membranous area ( Fig. 6 ). Sternite IX, completely dark brown; covered by long black setae ( Fig. 7 , 8 ); medial posterior border extended and with a small concavity in ventral view ( Fig. 8 ). Ectoproct reddish brown and rounded ( Fig. 6, 7 ). Pulvinus connected by a membrane to the ventral region of ectoproct; extremelly elongated and with apex curved and covered by black bristles, the gonosetae ( Fig. 6, 7 ). Gonarcus reduced and membranous ( Fig. 9 ). Paramere very elongated, black, with apex curved ( Fig. 6, 7 ) and with surface completely covered by acuminate micro-projections ( Fig. 9 ). Pelta located between parameres and with long black setae ( Fig. 9 ). Membrane ventrally attached to the gonarcus folded forming the gonosaccus.

Body length: 32.35 mm. Forewing length: 28.30 mm. Hindwing length: 23.04 mm.

Paratypes: Male, similar to holotype except for antenna with 51 segments. Body length: 31.96 mm. Forewing length: 27.80 mm. Hindwing length: 22.90 mm.

Female: Head with the same color pattern; vertex with white pilosity; antenna with 48 to 50 segments.

Thorax: one specimen with the same color pattern of the males except for a central yellow spot in the mesoscutellum and for the yellow mesosubscutellum, the other is slightly lighter; dorsal sclerites brown with a median longitudinal light-yellow stripe in the pro and mesonotum and light-yellow spots in the apical border of the meso and metaprescutum; pleural sclerites white with some light brown spots. Legs and wings ( Fig. 3 ) as in male.

Abdomen similar to male just slightly lighter in one of the specimens. first abdominal tergite without the conical projection but with pale yellow lateral plates folded over the respective tergite ( Fig. 10 ). Terminalia: tergite VIII prolonged downward laterally, with spiracles open over it ( Fig. 11 ); tergite IX divided into two lateral plates by a dorsal longitudinal membranous area, posterior border “S” shaped in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ); ventrovalvae and distivalvae, covered with long setae, elongated, and touching each other in ventral view ( Fig. 12 ); ectoproct rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ), linguella not visible.

Body length: 27.50 – 30.75 mm. Forewing length: 34.00 mm. Hindwing length: 26.25 mm. The lighter female had the wings crushed, not measured.

Bionomic data: All specimens were collected using light traps placed in the canopy and near the ground in a forested area in Itapiranga municipality, Amazonas state, located in the central Amazon, on the north side of the Amazonas River. This is the first record of this genus to Brazil, significantly expanding its distribution from Argentina and Paraguay to Amazon Basin.

Etymology. Named for the Amazon Forest, where the specimens were collected.

Type material. Holotype male: Brasil: Amazonas: Itapiranga, Rod.[ovia] AM 363, Km 111, Ramal Mandubá, 02°42’57’’S – 58°00’46’’W, 8–9.x.2010, 21–00:00h, Arm.[adilha] luminosa móvel. R. Machado, M. Guedes, F.F. Xavier leg. (printed on rectangular white paper) ( INPA).

Paratypes: same as holotype: 6–7.x.2010, A. Agudelo, P. Dias, F.F. Xavier (1 Ƥ — INPA); Ramal Maricota, 02°43’28.7’’S – 58°08’03.4’’W, 7–8.x.2010, 21–00:00h, Arm.[adilha] luminosa dossel 35 m. D.L.G.Ochoa, R.J.P.Machado leg. (1 3 — TAMU; 1 Ƥ — INPA).

Holotype condition: good, lacking the apex of the forewings.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Fillus amazonicus n. sp., Fig. 1, Head, lateral view; Fig. 2, Antenna apex; Fig. 3, Fore and hindwing (female).

FIGURES 4 – 7. Fillus amazonicus n. sp., Fig. 4, Male proximal abdominal tergites, lateral view, setae not represented; Fig. 5, Male, dorsal projection of the first abdominal tergite, dorsal view; Fig. 6, Male terminalia, dorsal view, setae not represented; Fig. 7, Male terminalia, lateral view. Ectoproct (ect), paramere (pa), pulvinus (pv), sternite (st), tergite (t). Scales = 1.00 mm.

FIGURES 8 – 12. Fillus amazonicus n. sp., Fig. 8, Male sternite IX, ventral view; Fig. 9, Male genitalia, posteroventral view; Fig. 10, Female proximal abdominal tergites, dorsal view, setae not represented; Fig. 11, Female terminalia, lateral view; Fig. 12, Ventrovalvae and distivalvae, ventral view. Distivalvae (dv), ectoproct (ect), gonarcus (gc), lateral plate (lp), paramere (pa), pelta (plt), tergite (t), ventrovalvae (vv). Scales = 0.50 mm.